Eat Like Gwyneth Day 10: The Healthy Pantry

Gwyneth's cookbook contains her go-to list of healthy pantry and fridge staples that allow her to pull together a healthful meal any time. We picked our favorite staples from each category -- and added a few -- to come up with this healthy pantry list.

Don't feel like you need to purchase everything on this list at once... or ever. These are just suggestions for possibilities/options -- and the items we've found to be most helpful in creating delicious, good-for-you meals. Building up your kitchen staples is a process that happens over time with weekly shopping trips. Have fun with it! And to see how we use our pantry staples to create healthful meals everyday, visit our C&J Twitter, where we TwEAT what we eat everyday.

OilsOlive (choose extra virgin because it delivers more flavor — and more antioxidants)Canola (good for baking because it’s flavorless)Toasted sesame and hot pepper-sesame (good for flavorings — especially stir-fries and salad dressing!)

**If you’ve got a tiny kitchen or your budget will only include one type of oil… we say go with olive, since it’s most versatile.

VinegarsRed wine, rice wine, and balsamic. (With these three types of vinegar, you’ve got your bases covered in terms of different flavors and uses.) Vinegar adds a lot of flavor for very few calories.

**If you’re looking to start with one type of vinegar…we’d recommend balsamic, since it delivers a richer flavor that can be used in salad dressing, roasted veggies and chicken dishes, and even soups.

Condiments and saucesDijon mustard (Use as a sandwich spread, as an ingredient in vinaigrette dressings, or mix with maple syrup and rub onto salmon before broiling)

Tomato paste (Use in chili, soups, sauces) Sriracha (Add a small amount to soups and sauces for extra kick and flavor)Natural peanut, almond, or walnut butter (make sure the ingredients are just nuts and salt.) Real maple syrup (Stir into plain non-fat yogurt or oatmeal or add to dressings or marinades) Lower sodium soy sauce (A small amount mixed with rice wine vinegar adds lots of flavor to stir fries, dressings, and marinades)Organic ketchup (Trader Joe’s makes a super affordable version; use for ketchup smilie faces like this one

Salsa (Use it on egg sandwiches, on top of soup, as a healthy dip for veggies, or mixed into yogurt for a creamy chip/veggie dip.)

Canned goodsTuna (Packed in water or oil) Salmon (Wild, with or without bones) Sardines (We love them chopped into pasta with plum tomato and garlic sauce.) Beans (Including kidney, black, cannellini and butter beans) Canned whole peeled tomatoes and their juice Canned dicedtomatoes

We added some additional whole grains that we love to this list: (All are great hot or cold, in salads, soups, mixed with pesto and veggies, or pilaf style with nuts.) Wheat berries, Quinoa, Barley, Bulgur wheatWhole wheat (or whole sprouted wheat) bread, english muffins, tortillas

In the fridgeOrganic unsalted butterOrganic large eggsBacon (Just one slice of bacon can add tons of flavor to an entire batch of roasted veggies or stew; we like the Uncured Turkey Bacon from Trader Joe’s, which has no Nitrates/Nitrites)Cheese (Flavorful hard cheeses like Parmigiano-Reggiano for toppings on salads, soups, pastas; and a reduce fat shredded cheese blend for melting/cooking)Skim, soy, or almond milk (Whichever you prefer — just make sure it’s got at least 20% DV of calcium per cup) Plain low-fat or nonfat yogurt, Greek-style or regular (Use in parfaits, smoothies, dips, or in place of sour cream)

The spice shelfCoarse or kosher salt (You naturally lower the sodium content of recipes if you use coarse/kosher salt, since the larger crystals take up more space… so less sodium per volume)Garam masala (Really tasty spice blend that goes great with veggies, tofu, chicken, etc.)Cinnamon (Cinnamon brings out the natural sweetness in other foods, so sprinkle some on things like cereal or yogurt; it’s also great used sparingly in things like chile or stew)Cumin (Whole and ground)Chili powderRed pepper flakesFennel seeds (If you like the taste of fennel, a teaspoon of the seeds in warm water makes a great after-dinner tea)Coriander seeds (Coriander seeds are actually the seeds of the cilantro plant…but have a very different flavor from cilantro)NutmegBlack peppercornsSmoked paprika (We just started using this ingredient more and boy are we glad — it brings a deep, rich flavor to any dish…especially ones with tomato in them)Cloves (Whole and ground)Ground gingerWasabi powderChinese five spiceGarlic powder Dried oreganoPumpkin pie spice

** We know — to buy all these spices would be expensive to do all at once. Choose one or two to try at a time and go from there. If you’re staring from scratch, we’d recommend starting with cinnamon, garlic powder, and black pepper, and either cumin or oregano and building your spice repertoire from there. Also, remember that spices do lose flavor as they age — so try not to accumulate one of those shelves of really old spices you hardly ever use (because when you finally use them, they probably won’t taste very good).

Some other ingredientsDorot frozen herbs like cilantro, basil, and garlic (they come in little ice cube-like trays and are like using fresh herbs but they last a lot longer) Nuts (Including almonds, walnuts,pecans, etc… try a new variety every month or so)Seeds (Including sunflower, pumpkin, sesame… again, the sky’s the limit)Dried fruit (Including raisins and cranberries… and any others that appeal to you)

Next week (and the week after) we’ll be changing gears and blogging about our own adventures with eating and cooking each day, along with a nutrition special report. Please join us!